Guitar Lessons in Johannesburg: Guitar Classes with Different Guitars

Be warned: “Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you’ll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you’re gonna be rewarded.” – Jimmy Hendrix. Going for Guitar Lessons in Johannesburg is pretty much like everywhere else: you have to stay committed. But your efforts will be rewarded, and the longer you stay in the game and keep going to your guitar classes, so will you learn to diversify your skills, and play some of the most amazing yet challenging guitars ever made.

Of course, it’s not so much about playing a range of guitars as making music that’s both interesting and different. Most students look forward to playing an acoustic or electric guitar; these are the guitars we see in use everyday on TV when we watch music videos, or when go to see a band. But once you look past the commercial aspect of music (and suppress your hunger for big stages and bright lights) and really delve into the soul of it, you’ll realise that the masters each picked a certain type of guitar to suit a specific purpose: it is like painting a portrait using a whole range of different brushes, each with its own special quality… instead of just one.

Twelve-string guitars are a great example of both the mastery of an instrument, and the resulting diversification. As the name implies, it’s a guitar with twelve strings on a single neck. These guitars can be acoustic or electric, and have the usual six strings, with each string of the second set tuned an octave higher than its normal string counterpart. As soon as you’ve advanced with your guitar lessons in Johannesburg and feel confident enough, get your hands on a twelve string and sit through a couple of your own guitar classes to see if you’ve got a feel for this type of guitar.

Steel guitars are another type of guitar available to dedicated musicians who’ve remained true to their guitar lessons in Johannesburg. Unlike the name may suggest, these guitars aren’t made from steel. Instead, they’re made of wood (like other guitars) but playing them relies on the use of a metal slide. The sound they produce is very unique, and is most often featured in country music and old western songs. Ask your instructor at one of your music classes to play you a recording; these instruments can add a whole different atmosphere to any song.

But even if that doesn’t quite catch your fancy, then look no further than the double-neck guitar. It’s like a twelve-string guitar, but with more strings. In fact, it’s often two guitars in one – at least. Invented out of necessity to comply with technological limitations during the 1960’s rather than to achieve a different sound, the double-neck guitar can have the usual six strings on one neck, and twelve on the other. Or it can have bass strings on one neck, and twelve strings on the other. And Steve Vai is proof that you don’t have to stop at two necks, since he has been known to play triple-neck guitars.

The above are just a few of the many different guitars out there. Some other types include resonator guitars and bass guitars as well as Archtop guitars. Whichever of these you dream of playing one day, it all starts with your music lessons in Johannesburg. So stay focused, stay dedicated, and attend as many music classes as you can.

“Oh yeah, I mean, it wasn’t a very good guitar, most good guitars have got thrust rods in the necks that you can adjust or that’ll keep them in shape, you know keep them straight. This one just, well it turned into a bow and arrow after a couple of months.” – Eric Clapton (presumably about his first guitar).

[This is our year at PBMA to experience and celebrate phenomenal greatness through music and skilled creative expression. Well done to all our music theory exam clients who have done exceedingly well yet again! Follow us on our FaceBook Page for updates and specials.]